Tatoos on the heartBy:sydni miklas

Introduction and Preface

These first few pages were talking about what the book was about. It was saying that we need to first change our though of some lives matter more than others. Everyone's life is equal. God made us all the same. Father Greg Boyle wanted to change this. He kept asking " Homeboy Industries has operated as a symbol as much as a place of concrete help. For more than twenty years, it has asked this city, “What if we were to invest in gang members, rather than just seek to incarcerate our way out of this problem?”( Boyle . So, he made Homeboy industries. There, people who once were a part of a gang got jobs.

Chapter 1: God, I Guess

This chapter is named "God, I Guess". I think it is named that because God will love us no matter what. He still loved the former gang members, even though they chose the wrong answer. My favorite story was Willy. Father Boyle asked him numerous questions about God. One was " How do you see God and how does God see you?"( Boyle). Willy answered that he saw God as his friend, which I think we all should. The answer to the second question was he doesn't know how God sees him. I like it because Willy came back to God after his rough times he has had.

Chapter 2: Dis-Grace

I think this chapter was named "Dis-Grace" because all of the people in the story thought they were a dis-grace. My favorite starry was the "Little Project Kid". That story It was my favorite because I could relate to it the most. When i was little, and still now, I care a lot about how people see me and what they think of me. My favorite story was in this chapter. It was about this boy named Lula, who wasn't the best at going to school all of the time. He didn't go to school most of the time because he didn't have enough clothes to wear something different everyday. One day, Lula comes running into one of Father G's meetings with a huge smile on his face and his report card. Father G looks trough it but isn't impressed until the end. It said zero absences. Everyone in the room was super proud of Lula for that accomplishment.

Chapter 3: Compassion

This chapter was titled "Compassion". I think it was titled that because all of the stories in this chapter were about compassion. They all felt bad for other and what they were going through. Father G said "'Compassion isn't just about feeling the pain of others; it's about bringing them in toward yourself.'"( Boyle 75) A story that exemplifies compassion was the story about Betito. Father G was really close to Betito, he always brightened Father G's day. He always counted on him to show up after school and greet everyone. After Betitos death, Father G, was very angry but he didn't take his anger out on them. He wished for them too change into better human beings.

Chapter 4: Water, Oil, Flame

I think this chapter is titled"Water, Oil and Flame" because it is about how God will come into your lives somehow. One interesting part for me was when the girls wanted to have kids so early. They thought that they would die at 18, so they thought they had to have kids early. My favorite story of the chapter is the story of Elias and how he had to give a speech because Father G received an award. He thought he couldn't, he was very nervous because he room was full of people. He walked up to the stage and started to speak. When he finished, people were on their feet clapping for him. Elias thought they were clapping for Father G. I can relate to this because I don't like getting in front of a lot of people and give a speech.

Chapter 5: Slow Work

This chapter is titled "Slow Work". I think it is named that because God's work won't always show right away, it takes some waiting for something to show up. In this chapter, Father G guides the homies if they want to change by themselves or stay the same old person. One story that changed the way I thought was the story of Joey. He used to be in a gang, but he is going to have a son soon. He decided that he has to get a job to support his family, he was desperate. So Joey, got a job at Chucky Cgeese as the mascot, the mouse. This impacted me because he was trying his hardest so his kid will have a good life ahead of him.

Chapter 6: Jurisdiction

I think this chapter is called "Jurisdiction" because most of the stories in this chapter was about the gang members working together, or at least trying. My favorite story in this chapter was about Gato and Flaco, they were in rival gangs. Flaco get really hurt because if an accident. When Father G is talking with a group of homies, Gato said that he is glad that he got hurt. Later that day, Gato apologizes and tells Father G that he wants him to tell Gato that he hopes he gets better. Most of the homies don't want to lose the respect of their gangs, but in the inside, they feel bad for the other person.

Chapter 7: Gladness

I think that this chapter was named "Gladness" because all in the stories in this chapter, it was about gladness. They all found a way to be happy no matter what they are going through and the joy that Homeboy Industries brings to them. My all time favorite story was about spider. He didn't ever eat until his family ate. I couldn't imagine watching everyone else in your family eat until they were full when you were starving.

Chapter 8: Success

This chapter is titled "Success". In this chapter, Father G said that faith is measured on how much faith you have. I agree with what Father G said, success to me is getting one step closer to go to heaven. One major success story in his chapter was the story about Soledad and her 4 kids. Two of her four kids, Ronnie and Angel, have been killed within the past two years. Soledad went to the hospital one day, because of an irregular heart beat. Next to her, is the kid who killed her kid with a wound from being shot. Soledad prayed that kid didn't die because she doesn't want his mom to go through what she had to go through. I don't know if I would have the guts to do that.

Chapter 9: Kinship

I think this chapter is named "Kinship" because the homies try to make friendships with different people throughout this chapter. There are stories throughout this chapter that exemplify homies trying to kinship. One example of a homie trying to get Kinship with Father G is a 15 year old kid. When Father G got diagnosed with leukemia, all of the homies were very sad. The kid tried to make a Kinship to Father G by saying that his cat died of leukemia. I try to make connections to people to become friends with them sometimes.